


hold my hand (my whole heart too)

by WaifsandStrays



Category: Green Creek Series - T.J. Klune
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, I Can't Believe I Wrote This, M/M, What Have I Done
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-01
Updated: 2018-10-01
Packaged: 2019-07-23 13:38:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16160027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WaifsandStrays/pseuds/WaifsandStrays
Summary: When a prank goes wrong, Kelly discovers what we all knew all along.





	hold my hand (my whole heart too)

**Author's Note:**

> This is a gift for Naomi for the Green Creek Discord Server Halloween Exchange! I hope you enjoy it, Naomi!

“You have to be kidding me,” Kelly said flatly. Carter’s pleading eyes didn’t change. “No. I refuse, ask someone else-"

“Robbie will never believe any of us, he’ll see right through it!” Carter pouted, lips ridiculously pursed. “C’mon, Kell. He’d do anything for you.”

Kelly blushed. “No, he wouldn’t. Stop saying that!”

“Kelly, he’s basically in love with you.” Carter's face was pitying even as his eyes stayed playful. “But, that aside, you're also the only one too mature to do this shit. _That_ is why he’ll trust you.”

Kelly held up his finger. “If - _if_ \- I do this, you have to promise you won’t hurt him. Not even on accident.”

“Kell, I swear. All we want to do is scare him a little. It’ll be fun, you’ll see.” Carter smacked a kiss on Kelly’s forehead and bounded out the door, calling for his timberwolf to follow him. The great lumbering beast moved from peering out Kelly’s window and followed on silent feet. Kelly wondered when Carter would finally understand.

He turned his phone over and over again in his hands until he couldn’t take it any longer.

 _What are you doing rn?_ Kelly hated texting. It was so much easier to not use words at all. He and Robbie never needed words face to face.

**Nothing. Waiting for Gordo to let us all go home. Shop is dead.**

_When you get off, wanna go for a run? I'm restless and I don’t wanna go alone._ It was no secret that Kelly went on a lot of runs in the woods. It was just that, most of the time, he went by himself or he took Carter. He’d never asked Robbie before.

The response was instant. **Of course.**

Kelly put his phone aside and tried to stifle the feeling of guilt bubbling in his belly. It would be fine, he told himself. Robbie would think it was funny and everything would be fine.

***

Kelly was waiting for him at the edge of the forest, wearing running shorts and a hoodie that Robbie was pretty sure belonged to him. It sent a quiet thrill through him, the idea that Kelly would smell like him. He tried to tamp the feeling down. He was trying not to make Kelly uncomfortable any more.

And maybe it was working. Kelly had asked him along after all. Maybe Robbie could finally get over this stupid crush…

Kelly smiled and it was like the sun coming out. Robbie shoved the almost painful happiness he felt at the sight down deep and waved. “Hey,” he said when he got close enough. “You ready to go?”

“Just a few more minutes,” Kelly said. His cheeks flushed. “I, um, I like to wait til dusk to go. I like the woods at night.” His heartbeat didn’t stutter exactly but it did shake. Not a lie but an exaggeration maybe?

Robbie brushed it aside, stretching his legs. It wasn’t often he ran as a human but he enjoyed it when he had the chance. The Bennett boys ran as humans every weekend together. Not even Ox was invited on those runs.

“Hey,” Kelly said after they’d run about half a mile into the trees. “Can we stop for a second?”

“What’s going on?” Robbie didn’t like this. Something was wrong. Kelly’s heart had been racing since they’d started and now… now Robbie was sure that the running was just so he wouldn’t notice it.

“N-nothing! I’m just- I’ve got a cramp.”

Robbie’s hackles rose. “You’re a terrible liar, Kelly. Why did you ask me out here? Are Carter and Joe waiting up ahead to kick my ass or something? I've been backing off, ok? I'm trying!”

“Wait, what?” Kelly’s blue eyes were wide. “Robbie, no. That-that’s not what this is- I’m not trying to-"

All true. Whatever Kelly was trying to say, it was the truth. Robbie’s heart sank. God, could he ever just keep his mouth shut? No, he had to bleed his issues everywhere and all over people who didn’t need that kind of burden.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled. He kicked some leaves off the path and glanced back the way they came. “I’m going to go back. I don’t feel like… doing this. With you. I’m sorry.”

“Robbie, wait.” Gentle hands on his arms, his shoulders, cupping his face and making him look up. Kelly held Robbie’s face in his hands, eyes roaming across his face. The moment felt charged, like they were heading towards something, and then- 

A roar from behind them, loud and angry, and Robbie acted on instinct. He pushed Kelly behind him and roared back, the change barely held back. He could hear Kelly behind him, speaking quickly, but Robbie didn’t want to listen. Something was out there, something that could hurt his mat- his _friend_ and Robbie wasn’t going to let that happen.

The roar came again and this time the urge to shift was even harder to ignore. He felt Kelly’s arms come around his middle, felt Kelly press against his back.

“It’s just Carter,” he was saying, whispering frantically. “Robbie, it’s just Carter trying to scare you! Please, please calm down.”

Robbie’s stomach sank and he felt like he might be sick. “You set me up.”

“I-I was just supposed to get you out here and-"

“Distract me. So I wouldn’t notice him coming. God, I'm so stupid.” Robbie pried Kelly’s hands off him and turned around. “I actually thought you wanted me around. That you were trying to be my friend or let me down gently or whatever. Nope, just a big joke to you.”

“Robbie, _no_ -" Kelly started but Robbie didn’t stick around to hear the rest. He ran down the path, past Carter’s laughing form halfway in the trees and past his truck. He could hear Kelly calling for him, out loud and through the pack bonds, but he shut him out. Shut them all out.

_Weak weak weak of course you couldn’t have him are you stupid why why why_

***

Kelly rounded on Carter furiously, nearly shoving him off the path. “Why did you do that?! You- You- How could you?”

“I did what we planned for me to do!” Carter looked wounded. “The fuck, Kell?”

“We were- He was- And _now_ he won’t talk to me at all.” Kelly paced back and forth in front of Carter. “He’s completely blocked me out!”

“Calm down, man, he’s just being pissy.” Carter held Kelly’s shoulders. “Robbie’ll get over it.”

Kelly couldn't say why he was so upset, only that it seemed like they’d been moving towards something important and Carter’s dumb prank had ruined it. All Kelly could think of was Robbie pushing him behind him when faced with the sound of an angry wolf, the instant urge to protect and attack as well even when Kelly knew there was no real danger.

“Mates,” he said through numb lips. “We’re mates, oh my God.”

“Dude. I thought you knew already.” Carter stared. “We all thought you knew. And that you were just letting him down gently or whatever.”

“No,” Kelly said dully. “I had no damn clue and now I've ruined everything.”

“Robbie loves you,” Carter said. “He’s like, stupid in love with you, Kell. It’ll take more than one shitty joke to ruin it.”

“He thinks I think he’s a giant joke. That I was making fun of him.”

“Kelly. Go, follow him, stop him from being a drama queen.” Carter sighed, exasperated. “You gays are so damn dramatic.”

“Fuck you,” Kelly snapped but he was already turning to follow Robbie into the gloom. 

The darkness was thick but Kelly’s eyes were glowing orange. Even with his vision, Kelly nearly missed the small shape of Robbie sitting dejectedly under a tree. Kelly skidded to a stop beside him and tried to look Robbie over but Robbie wouldn’t allow it.

He batted Kelly’s hands away, shifted away from his eyes. “Leave me alone. Please.”

“No,” Kelly said, frustrated. “Let me look at you.” He pushed Robbie’s hands down and caught his face in his hands. Robbie’s eyes were red, his face puffy and wet. “Oh, Robbie…”

“Don’t. Don’t you dare pity me.”

“I’m not, baby. I'm not. Please-"

“Don’t call me that!” Robbie sounded vicious. He sounded wounded and cornered and Kelly hated that it was because of him.

“Robbie, I love you.” The words hung in the air between them and Kelly wanted to stuff them back inside where they could stay hidden and never hurt either of them again. “I-I do. I do love you-"

Robbie’s lips were on his and Kelly melted into the kiss with a small breathless sound. Robbie pulled him closer, parting his legs to make space, and Kelly _adored him_. 

They kissed until Kelly’s head was spinning. Until he pulled away, took a breath, and then they were kissing again. He could feel Robbie at the back of his mind, pack bonds blooming back to life.

_Packmatemine my Kelly my mate_

It sounded sweet enough to almost make him cry. Kelly buried his face in Robbie’s neck, kissing over his hammering pulse. He didn’t bite, not yet, this was still too new, but he did leave his mark.

 _Mine_ , he thought. _Mine mine mine. Always mine._

Robbie’s smile was radiant and Kelly never wanted a day to go by where he didn’t cause that smile at least once. “Hey,” Robbie said softly, pushing their foreheads together. “I love you too.”


End file.
